Description
This Vegan “Chicken” Piccata is everything you loved about the classic Italian-American favorite – it’s zesty, buttery, briny and made 100% vegan with our homemade seitan “chicken.” Serve it over pasta or mashed potatoes for the ultimate dinner!
Ingredients
“Chicken” seitan fillets:
- 7 oz firm tofu, drained
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (90g) vital wheat gluten
Piccata:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, divided
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup vegan chicken broth
- Juice & zest of 1 large lemon
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Prepare the “chicken” fillets:
- Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and salt to a food processor. Process until completely smooth. Add the vital wheat gluten and process again until it forms a ball of dough.
- Remove from the food processor and briefly knead just to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and flatten them into “fillet” shapes, about 1 centimeter thick.
- Prepare a steamer basket over a pan of simmering water. Arrange the seitan fillets in the steamer basket–it’s okay if they’re overlapping a bit. Cover and steam for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Once the fillets are done steaming, allow to cool before continuing. You can prepare the seitan fillets in advance and store in the fridge until ready to prepare the piccata.
Pan-fry the fillets:
- Add the flour, salt, and black pepper to a shallow bowl and mix together. Coat each seitan fillet with the flour mixture.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the fillets. Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
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Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack. Depending on the size of your skillet and fillets, you might need to do this in multiple batches.
Make the piccata:
- Once all the fillets are browned and removed from the pan, add the shallot, garlic, and capers. Sauté for 3 minutes until the shallot is softened. Add the wine and mix to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits. Simmer until the alcohol is cooked off, about 1 minute.
- Add the broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice and stir together. Lower the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter into cubes and add to the sauce. Stir constantly until the butter has melted and the sauce is emulsified.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add the seitan fillets back to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Top with fresh parsley and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian